The Pumpkin Thief
by Chameleon Eyes
Summary: It is a dangerous time in Hyrule. The king is dead and the young princess sits on the throne. Her advisors keep her hidden inside the castle, shielding her from Hyrule's terrible truths. It is only a pumpkin thief who reveals the lie she lives. It is only she who can stop the corruption. And, with the help of the Resistance, only they can prevent the overthrowal of the crown. LxZ


**This is an AU (alternate universe) Twilight Princess story. Settings and characters are based off of Twilight Princess. I don't own Legend of Zelda or Twilight Princess and its characters.**

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_**The Pumpkin Thief**_

_by Chameleon Eyes_

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**Chapter One  
**

**::-x-::**

**Within These Walls**

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It was just like any other day for the young princess. And like any other day, she was subjected to her advisors keen eyes in her training to become queen. Right now they watched her work in the queen's library loaded with paperwork piled towers high all around her. She shuffled them, read each page speedily, and signed her full signature at the bottom.

_Princess Zelda Harkinian Nohansen._

_Princess Zelda Harkinian Nohansen._

_ Princess Zelda Harkinian Nohansen._

She sighed. If she had any choice in her daily routine, this would not be it.

"Advisor Arin," she called.

Immediately, he stopped stamping the documents with the royal seal of Hyrule. He peered at her behind his circular lens with a glare she attempted to ignore. "Yes, Princess Zelda?"

"I'd like to go out in Castle Town, if that's okay," she added, smiling. "It's just such a beautiful day out right now and the snow's melting and the sun's shining brightly outside…" she hooked her hands together and gazed out the window with longing. A bird flew onto the window's ledge, rustled its feathers and settled down.

"That would be the most unwise," Arin replied. "Why waste time in such dank weather? There are puddles everywhere and the odious smell of sewage in the air. I think it would harm your health, Your Grace."

"I don't mind if I get a little cold," she said, handing the finished papers over to Advisor Flavio. "The physician can take care of me. I'm sure of it."

"The physician, ironically, is sick. We do not want you catching what he has, now do we?" Arin asked sternly.

She slumped in her chair. Arin definitely didn't want her to go into the town that day—or any day as a matter of fact. It was always sign this, read this, attend this. _Blah blah blah blah…_

"A proper queen does not slump in her seat and wave her hands mouthing the words 'blah blah blah blah,'" Zelda's governess, Lita, said as she entered the doors with dresses in hand.

Zelda did as she was told and sat with her back straight. It was quite uncomfortable for the desk was low and she had to tilt her neck downwards in order to see what she wrote. After several minutes of this position, her neck ached so and she just wanted a nice mug of rose tea and a pillow to snuggle with under her covers.

"A court case, Your Grace," said Flavio as he swooped down and piled more papers onto her tiny desk. "Something to do with a pumpkin thief in the town."

"Which dress would you wear to the Spring Ball, Your Grace?" said Lita, approaching Zelda in her ridiculous outfit of cherry reds and peacock blues.

Arin got up and also went to her desk, with, she feared, even _more _papers in hand. "Your Grace, if you would be so kind as to attend the meeting with Prince Ralis—"

"This soft cream white dress with the lace and pearls or the sparkling blue—"

"You must attend court for a peculiar case—"

"A nice shade of red will do wonders to those pretty blue eyes—here, m'lady, you choose—"

"Lita!" Arin and Flavio screamed. Zelda flinched at the sudden noise, taking her out of her daze, and noticed that papers flew and floated everywhere like a snow storm. One landed on Arin's head, and she tempted not to giggle at the sight.

"Preposterous!" Arin screeched, his jowls jiggling and his spectacles askew. "Why are you bringing the subject of dresses in here when the princess is working?" His face grew red and a vein throbbed on his forehead.

Lita humphed at him before she ignored his steel-eyed glare. "Which dress, Your Grace?" she continued.

"Uhh…" Zelda started, "that one!" With quill in hand, she pointed at the white dress with a body of the softest violet.

"A wise choice, malady," Lita smiled. Triumphantly, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room with her head high and her hips swaying. Arin sighed dramatically with a look of disdain on his face as he looked at his surroundings. Paper was everywhere, as if a gigantic explosion had taken place, or perhaps a great gust of wind that finally blew the papers from their organized stacks. Flavio rolled his eyes and bent down to help Arin, who swatted his hand away and muttered for him to go at the other end of the room.

"It appears as if we have a delay," Arin commented dryly as he set the documents on Zelda's desk.

Flavio clucked his tongue as the papers continued to fall around him. "It will take hours to get organized."

Zelda caught one of the papers and handed it to him. "Why don't we call for help? I'm sure there'll be plenty of staff off duty to lend a hand."

"No, no, no," Arin muttered. "We do not want any inconvenience. And besides, they couldn't tell apart what a law document and a letter to the queen is. It'll just add more hassle to the situation at hand."

"Right," she said, and she slyly picked up a law document and placed it on the pile labelled _letters _that Arin had established. With his hawk eyes, she was sure he would catch her red-handed…

"No, malady, no!" he screeched and ran promptly forth, his hand outstretched as he grabbed the innocent sheet of paper and set it on the other small pile. "That does not go there," he said calmly. "Why don't you go to the gardens for now? Or perhaps a nice stroll in the fairy fountain? Are you hungry? Maybe the chef has some food prepared for you."

"I'm quite all right, Arin," she smiled. "I'll just go and, uh, take a walk in the park. I'll see you then?"

He nodded. "Yes, Your Grace. Do whatever you wish as we clean up this catastrophe."

As the doors closed shut behind her, Zelda pumped her fist in the air and silently yelled words of celebration. Freedom…!

.

She immediately returned to her rooms and shooed her maids out politely. Quickly, she opened her wardrobe and lunged her arm in, digging this way and that, until she felt material that wasn't as smooth and silky as her other dresses or material that didn't have a certain sandpaper feel of glitter and the feel of smooth pearls and soft feathers laced into the hemlines.

She withdrew a plain grey gown with geometric patterns sewn across the hem of the skirt and along the neckline. All in all, it was a pretty normal-looking dress that a princess wouldn't be caught dead wearing, yet alone in the presence of Lita.

The drab cloth fell over her shoulders and she looked herself over in the full-length mirror. It did nothing for her complexion, nothing for her eyes and nothing for her body, which had an illusion cast upon it by the baggy dress. She scoffed at her reflection. It would be covered with a nice, warm—not _too_ rich—rough-spun cloak.

She silently laughed to herself as she put on the worn cloak over her shoulders, clasping the iron chain into the hook across her shoulders, and then pulling the hood over her head. In truth, she was laughing because Lita would be horrified that she, a pretty little princess, was wearing something so dirty, so horrendously stinky, and so _common. _Yet, the laughing ceased as the guilt dawned on her again. The dress was given to her by the head chef Merida, a drab old thing she had said, but as she let Zelda take it from her, she saw the memories lingering behind her eyes. The cloak belonged to a hefty maid named Rina who had accidentally left it on her chair last time she cleaned her rooms. After her little adventure, she'd be sure to give back both items to their proper owners. With that in mind, she grabbed a few rupees in a piggy bank she had last used when she was fourteen. It was just enough to purchase food and drink for a day.

The excitement and thrill of an experience outside the castle walls propelled her forward. But she was cautious, for if a guard caught her, he would ask her to reveal her face, and to see the princess outside of her gardens and rooms would be a death sentenced by her advisors. She could imagine them if such a scenario took place, their stern eyes following her every move. She shuddered. A life like that was one she wanted to avoid.

And so she looked out the window and saw that the guards were going away for a five minute break. Perfect. That was just enough time to climb down the wall and exit the courtyard.

Easing her legs out of the window, which dangled freely, she clutched onto the sill and lowered herself down onto the vines growing along the walls. They were strong and sturdy just like herself, who developed strength in her sword training sessions with her captain of the guard. She sighed. Oh yes, he was so dreamy and beautiful and undeniably handsome—

Her foot almost gave way as her mind slipped from the present moment. She must focus and not pay attention to such trivial features of the captain. If he heard her thoughts, she was sure he'd take away their private lessons forever. What would he say of her now, climbing down the walls and escaping from the guards who protected her?

She smiled as she landed softly on her feet. He'd laugh at her, thinking she was crazy, and she would poke his nose and call him crazi_er_.

She hurried over to the pathway and began walking like nothing happened. To the guards, she wouldn't look suspicious at all now that she was outside of the castle. To them, she looked like another citizen who had visited the castle during visitor's hours. So, she was quite confident as she waltzed to the drawbridge and called to the guard on duty, who sat back in a chair with a ham sandwich in his hands.

"Yeah, yeah, kid. I'll draw down the bridge," he sighed heavily, annoyed that she had disturbed his lunch. He set down the sandwich on his chair and activated the pulley, slowly pushing the handle until the bridge cranked and there were no more chains to rattle.

Zelda remained silent as she walked out, legs slightly trembling. Once she was out of sight, she almost ran with glee, but remembered there were even more guards positioned outside. With stiff legs and a stony expression, she put one foot in front of the other, hoping that it looked normal to them. And once she exited the gates, she sighed, relieved that the most dangerous part was complete.

"MOVE IT!" someone screamed.

Suddenly something hard crashed into her belly, and all at once, she swiveled away from the impact, wheezing and sputtering and absolutely confused as to what had hit her.

"Moron," the person called back, dashing fiercely into the crowd with a cart full of pumpkins in his hands.

The place was crowded and no one paid any mind to the rude mouth of the pumpkin pusher. They nonchalantly sidestepped his cart as if they were accustomed to such behaviours each day.

"YOU THERE!"

Zelda turned to the familiar voice of the captain, her heart beating quickly. Would she be caught? Just when she had her first step outside of the castle?

The captain ran past her and after the pumpkin pusher, the armour on his green tunic weighing him down. Cursing, he threw it off his chest and it landed by the large fountain. The townspeople continued with their day, paying no attention to the odd scene before them.

"Hmm," Zelda thought aloud. Perhaps that was the pumpkin thief her advisors urged her to look over?

She went to the fountain and picked the metallic armour up. Above the heads of the townsfolk, she could see the captain still chasing the pumpkin thief yelling at him to stop lest he wanted an audience with the princess. The pumpkin thief did not stop, but he turned his head around and cackled with a crazed expression on his face before dodging around the corner and disappearing from sight.

Without thinking, Zelda ran forth.

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**Yes, a new story! It was supposed to be a fluffy one-shot, but now that I think about it, I suck at writing fluffy one-shots _and _I'm really bad at keeping things short, plus a bunch of ideas filled my head and I couldn't swat them away. Sooo... I decided to make it a story with multiple chapters. **

**Hoped you enjoyed it! And please tell me what you think. I'd appreciate it! :)**


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